Abacha loot: Okonjo-Iweala lied —SERAP

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) says that former Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo Iweala lied to Nigerians on how funds recovered from late military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha were spent.

The group noted that Okonjo-Iweala should “apologise to Nigerians for claiming recently that recovered Abacha loot was transparently spent while she knew that $322m (about N63billion) recovered Abacha funds were inappropriately released to finance the fight against Boko Haram.”

The group had written to the World Bank to ascertain how the recovered Abacha loot was spent, and Okonjo-Iweala had replied then that the funds were spent on certain developmental projects in the country.

The former finance minister however said in a statement yesterday, that she released about $322m to the former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki for military operations.

Read also: Why I gave Abacha loot to Dasuki –Okonjo-Iweala

SERAP in a statement by its executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni said: “The truth about the spending of Abacha loot is now coming out, and it is clear that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was wrong to accuse SERAP of bias while she knew that we are simply seeking truth, justice and accountability on the spending of recovered Abacha loot.”

“Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s approach of ‘no answers, no apology’ on how Abacha loot was spent is doing her reputation more harm than good. We hope that she will take cue from the World Bank (her former employer) when it defined ‘accountability and probity’ as knowing what task has been set, accepting to do it, and going about it with a sense of probity.

“Probity implying the willingness to self-disclose such information to which a specific stakeholder group has a right as well as tolerance of the scrutiny of such a stakeholder group on information to which they have a right,” the organisation said.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now